Contents

Appearance

Personality

Story

On Halloween night, 7-year-old Sophie, instead of going out trick-or-treating like other children, is reduced to longingly gazing out the window at the fun. Her mother Gwen never allows her children to take part in Halloween and this year seems to be no different. Although Sophie's older sister Marnie tries to argue with their mother about the injustice, claiming that Sophie and their brother Dylan should be able to enjoy Halloween like every other kid, their mother does not back down. More or less accepting that she once again cannot trick-or-treat, Sophie turns her attention to a tempting plate of cookies, but her mom doesn't let her have any- at least, not until after dinner. A pouting Sophie turns away, grumbling that she really wants those cookies. Behind her back, a cookie magically rises and starts gently floating to her. Gwen notices the rogue treat just in time and snatches it out of the air, muttering "not again" and stuffing it in her mouth before her daughter sees. Suddenly, their grandma Aggie arrives, joking that it's lucky for Gwen that Sophie doesn't like liver. A delighted Sophie runs to her grandma and gives her a big hug. Their grandmother has brought them all Halloween gifts including decorations, costumes, and candy. Sophie lights up when she sees the enormous amount of candy and eagerly puts out the decorations, happily running around in her ghost costume.

During dinner, Sophie asks her grandmother to tell them a bedtime story, an idea that is well-received by her siblings. Although reluctant to allow it, Gwen soon gives in. Aggie decides to show her grandchildren a storybook about a fantastic place called Halloweentown, filled with pictures of werewolves, fishmen, and even a ghost like Sophie's costume. Before too long, their mother says its time for grandma Aggie to leave if she wants to be able to catch her bus back home. Before she goes though, Gwen wants to have a word with her. As they put away leftovers in the kitchen, Aggie complains that this is Marnie's thirteenth Halloween, an important date that should signal the end of a witch's training. Instead, the half-human Marnie is at risk for losing her powers permanently because her training hasn't begun. Gwen argues that Halloweentown is not her nor her children's world; they belong in the human one. Marnie, who has snuck downstairs, is happily shocked when she witnesses her grandmother turn the chicken leftovers into a live chicken in order to make a point to Gwen. Marnie immediately wakes up Dylan and tells him what she has seen, and the two end up sneaking outside to follow their grandma. Sophie, who has merely pretended to be asleep, overhears everything and decides to follow her older siblings without their knowledge.

Somehow she is able to sneak onto Aggie's bus without being seen by anyone. Only when the bus lands does Sophie reveal herself to her astonished siblings. The children look around at the amazing creatures, enormous Jack-O-Lantern, and Halloween atmosphere and realize that they have entered into Halloweentown, the world their grandmother was telling them about. They also realize that they have lost sight of said grandmother. Before they can panic, they are approached by the town mayor. He pretends to mishear Sophie when she tells him her name and pulls out a large lollipop out of his ear for her. Though obviously impressed, Sophie understandably declines the lollipop because it just came out of an ear. Unabashed, mayor Kalabar simply makes it vanish. When the children tell him that Aggie Cromwell is their grandmother and ask him if he knows where she lives, he is all too happy to call the children of his childhood friend, Gwen, a taxi. When the driver, Benny, drops them off at the front gates, the siblings find that they are padlocked shut. Marnie tries to tap into her powers and open it magically, but fails. While she and Dylan bicker, Sophie opens the gates by looking hard at the lock and turning it into a toad. Aggie is very surprised that they have found their way into her world but is overjoyed that they have come to visit her. Sophie wants to help with "the bad thing", a mysterious problem she overheard Aggie tell Gwen: some residents of Halloweentown are acting very strangely; one day they are as nice as they ever were, but the next they are wild and hostile, disappearing altogether soon after. Aggie believes that if she can reignite an ancient family heirloom, Merlin's Talisman, she can fight "the bad thing". The potion that can empower the Talisman calls for the hair of a werewolf, a vampire's fang, and the sweat of a ghost, ingredients that shouldn't be too hard to find in town. As the shopping trip will also allow her to show them her world, she happily takes along her grandkids.

Marnie is delighted by the discovery of broomsticks and begs her grandmother to buy one for her, who not only complies but also takes Marnie on a ride. But before Aggie can take an excited Sophie on a flight, Gwen appears, furious at her mother for taking away her children without her knowledge. She orders her children to say goodbye and then to come home with her. Sophie sadly says goodby to Aggie and quietly waits as Gwen tries to find out the departure time of the next bus. Finding out that the bus has been delayed, Gwen decides to ask the mayor for help. Mayor Kalabar, overjoyed at seeing Gwen again, flirts with her, causing Marnie and Dylan to realize with teenage disgust that the mayor is her mother's ex-boyfriend. Meanwhile, Sophie gazes out the window and notices her grandmother walking somewhere with the town punk, Luke. She alerts her family, and sensing that Aggie is in trouble, they run after her.

Luke takes Aggie to the abandoned movie theatre, where she discovers all of the people who have disappeared frozen like statues. Noticing a dark, swirling vortex where the movie screen should be, she soon comes face-to-face with the mastermind behind the disappearances, a creature swathed in shadow. He commands that she give him Merlin's Talisman, but she naturally refuses, instead demanding to know why he has kidnapped all these people. At that moment, her family bursts in. Marnie starts forward to help, but her mother orders her to keep her younger siblings back, rushing to help Aggie herself. As the shadow being throws magical fire at Aggie, Gwen shoves her out of the way, getting hit herself in the process. The spell paralyzes Gwen in time, and Aggie, struck with horror, is unable to dodge a second fireball. Struggling against the freezing curse, she tells her grandchildren to escape before she succumbs to the spell. Scared, Sophie opens the door which floods the theater with scuh bright sunlight that it makes the shadow being cringe back. Dylan tugs Marnie away and Sophie slams the door shut. As they catch their breath, Marnie notices that Sophie is near tears after witnessing what just happened, saying she wants her mom and grandma back. Her big sister comforts her by promising that they will rescue their family by gathering the potion ingredients and reigniting the Talisman.

First on the list is the hair of a werewolf, which they find at a hair salon. Sophie waits while her siblings grab it. The next ingredient, sweat of a ghost, is harder to find. Dylan isn't even sure a ghost can sweat without a body. Nevertheless, the siblings check out the recreation center, figuring that sweat of all kinds could be found there. As they explore, they happen to discover a sweat box and a large ghost who is nestled inside. Marnie, after telling Dylan to distract the ghost, wanders over to the temperature control and increases the heat. Sophie, seeing that Dylan isn't doing so well, throws on a white towel and pretends to be a ghost herself, far more effectively seizing the ghost's attention. Marnie is able to swipe a drop of sweat off the ghost's nose and the children run off to find the final ingredient, a vampire fang, at the dentist's. Luckily for them, a vampire is getting her tooth pulled. Sophie and Dylan wait outside as Marnie, disguised as an assistant, takes the fang. As Marnie hurries out to join them, they all nearly get run over by Benny's taxi. The skeleton offers to take them back up to Aggie's house free of charge and Dylan gratefully agrees before Sophie pulls him back. She says that the "bad thing" is in Benny. The older children become suspicious, a fear that grows when Benny becomes impatient and nastily orders them to get in the car. Before the children can turn away, Benny lunges at a frightened Dylan and grabs him by the neck, trying to yank him into the taxi. As Marnie and Dylan struggle against the surprisingly strong bones, Sophie quickly releases a dog from its leash, telling it to "go fetch the bone", scaring Benny off. Massaging his throat, Dylan thanks his little sister for saving him.

With the potion complete, the Talisman is nearly ready. Unfortunately, Marnie has completely forgotten the spell that activates it. Luckily, Sophie made a song out of the spell's words. Joining forces with her sister, they chant the spell together and cause the Talisman to illuminate at last. Believing that the Talisman can cure their mother and grandmother, the siblings rush to the abandoned theater and wave the Talisman in vain over their family members. Sophie sadly sits in the seat next to her mom. Discouraged, Marnie remembers her grandmother telling her that the Halloween traditions in the human world are merely echoes of Halloweentown's traditions. Gazing at the shining Talisman, Marnie explains that it's similar to the candles that humans place into their Jack-O-Lanterns. Recalling that there is an enormous, empty Jack-O-Lantern in the center of town, Marnie realizes she must install the Talisman within its orange depths.

Dylan keeps Sophie safe and stays out of the way while Marnie attempts to light the darkened pumpkin, rejoicing when Marnie eventually succeeds and they are reunited with their mother and grandmother. Kalabar, however, the shadow being behind the "bad thing", soon overcomes the pain that the Jack-O-Lantern's returned light has caused him and laughingly faces the Cromwells. He magically forces the Talisman to fly into his hand and dares the Cromwells to try their best to stop him. Seeing that Gwen and Aggie alone aren't strong enough to overpower the twisted mayor, Marnie and Sophie join hands with the two older witches and combine their powers. Dylan, reluctant to embrace his magical ancestry, hangs back. However, when Sophie holds out her hand to him, Dylan joins in and adds his newly-discovered powers to theirs. Kalabar is no match for five Cromwells and his shroud of shadow ignites, causing him to dissolve into bright, magical light.

As the Cromwell family celebrates with the citizens of Halloweentown, the children state that they want to stay with Aggie longer, but the bus between worlds only travels once a year on Halloween. Knowing this, Gwen asks Aggie to live with them in the human world. Stunned that her daughter would ever make such an offer, but delighted at the prospect of spending more time with her family and training her grandchildren, Aggie happily agrees. All five Cromwells embark on the bus and wave goodbye to Halloweentown as they take off for the human world.

She can sense Kal's presence, which her grandmother, mother, sister and brother can't (although Gwen later can and Dylan indicates he senses something is wrong), but has a hard time controlling her flying abilities because Aggie hadn't taught her how to fly yet. She is about 9.

Relationships

Gwen is Sophie's mother. When Sophie was little, she clearly showed magical talent and it was all her mother could do to keep her from knowing about it. Even so, they appear to have a good relationship. When Gwen shows up in Halloweentown for the first time, Sophie happily runs into her arms and after Gwen is attacked by the shadow being, Sophie almost cries, saying she wants her mom and grandma back. When the children return to the theatre with the empowered Talisman, Sophie climbs into the chair next to her mother as they attempt to revive her and Aggie.

Marnie is Sophie's older sister. Sophie seems to look up to Marnie a lot, even though she appears to be a better witch, at least in the first movie. When Sophie is about to cry in the first movie, Marnie comforts her.

As Sophie's older brother, Dylan is very protective of her and is concerned about being a good role model for her. They seem quite close, as whenever Dylan is reluctant to participate in whatever situation they're facing, it is Sophie who gets him to join in, either by holding out her hand to him or giving him a look.

Aggie is Sophie's grandmother. Sophie is always overjoyed whenever her grandmother visits and appears to love and respect her a lot. As Sophie grows older, she eagerly trains with her more and more as the movies go on.

Quotes

"The pumpkin doesn't look very nice like in the book." - Sophie talking to Marnie & Dylan about the Jack-O-Lantern in the center of Halloweentown

"It's the bad thing." - Sophie sensing Kalabar

"I want mommy and grandma." - Sophie worrying about Gwen and Aggie after Kalabar, in the disguise of a shadow hooded demon freezed them in time at the abandoned movie theater

Trivia

Whenever a very young Sophie threw a tantrum, various objects would fly off the walls and shelves.

In the first movie, Kalabar teases Sophie by always calling her "Soapy".

Sophie shows a greater control of her powers than Marnie. This may be because she is younger, or it may indicate that she is a better witch.

Emily Roeske largely withdrew from acting and thus chose not to make an appearance in the final film.